1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to systems for locating missing or lost individuals or items and particularly to computerized systems for same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Presently there are a number of systems, which aid in locating last individuals such as children and reuniting them with their parents. These systems are both mechanical as well as electronic.
One such mechanical system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,783.
This system includes a shoelace, near the center of which is affixed a flexible strip, made from textile, plastic, or other suitable material, that is adapted to be wrapped about the shoelace and retained in that position. Desired information, such as name, address, telephone number, blood type, medical facts of special concern, or the like, may appear on the surface of the strip which is to be concealed by the strip having been overlaid by itself as it is wrapped about the shoelace. A protective cover material, such as a short, tubular segment of clear plastic, to protect the strip while keeping the distinguishing indicia visible may surround the strip, so marked and so positioned. Such protective cover and/or the surface of the strip, which is exposed when the strip is so wrapped, may include distinguishing indicia to notify interested persons, such as police, medical workers, etc., of the existence of the enclosed information. Thereby, the identification of a lost child, or information relevant to treating a person in medical emergency may be identified as being available and made easily accessible when needed, while being concealed until then.
While useful, the system depends upon the data in the child's shoestrings being discovered and used. Also, the data information would be useless in locating the child if he is held against his will by kidnappers.
Another system, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,219, facilitates notification of the parents of a lost child, while preventing strangers from learning the name of the child or parents. The system includes an alphanumeric identification making (I.D. marking) on an item of clothing of a particular child, the I.D. marking being unique to the particular child but not containing the child's name. An alert marking, similar to alert markings on other children's clothing that have an I.D. marking, alerts authorities who find a lost child that an I.D. marking is present and indicates where it is located, such as hidden within a pocket. Authorities finding the child and by the alert marking are directed to the I.D. marking, are able to contact a central station which can notify the parents of the child that the child has been found. The I.D. marking can be generated from a credit card number of a parent by a formula that permits knowledge of the I.D. marking to be used to generate enough of the credit card number of the parent to identify him or her.
Again, as in the previous system, there is no incentive for kidnappers to determine the child's identity or inform the parents and this system is useless in locating a child being held against his will.
An electronic locator system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,794, which is activated by someone other than the lost person or item. More specifically, a radio transmitter in a miniaturized transceiver is concealed on a person to be located, such as a lost child, is activated and transmits a coded UHF radio homing signal upon receipt of an initiating signal containing the child's address code. The initiating signal is automatically transmitted by a repeater station in response to an audible "panic signal" containing the address code and contains the identical address code. The panic signal is a pulse tone produced by a hand held tone generator activated by the child's parent and is transmitted to the repeater station by telephone. Tracing vehicles are provided with automatic UHF radio direction finding and distance measuring equipment for locating the source of the homing signal. Stored information concerning the child can be transmitted to the tracking vehicles.
This system provides from some storage of information on the person or item lost but the information is transmitted to a, limited number of distributors, namely the tracking vehicle.
In view of the foregoing, the prior art systems lacked a large data base of information on the person or item to be located including pictorial and video information which data base could be updated as needed before the information contained therein would be automatically distributed to a large number of distributors such as TV and radio stations, law enforcement agencies and private investigators.